Program

The Bachelor of Science degree in Soil Science provides fundamental knowledge and skills needed for field, laboratory, management, and teaching positions, as well as for graduate studies. Concentrations are offered in Land Resources, Environmental Management, and Environmental Science and Technology. These high quality programs help ensure that our graduates are well prepared for the diverse opportunities awaiting them. Also, graduates can meet educational requirements for professional certification by the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops and Soils, and as Certified Professional Erosion and Sediment Control Specialists.

Facilities of the department include laboratories having up-to-date analyzers and a glasshouse. The department has access to several thousand acres of agricultural, forest and range land managed by the College of Agriculture. All of the facilities, equipment and land, which allow practical application of classroom knowledge, are for student use. Our undergraduate soil science program ranks among the largest and strongest in the nation. Our graduates are employed from Alaska to Mexico, Maine to Hawaii, and on every continent. Their Cal Poly experience has provided them with the strong scientific foundation, practical skills and balanced general education needed to be flexible and competitive in today’s diverse, and often unpredictable, job market.

Undergraduate and graduate students majoring in soil science earn a solid, useful education; likewise, students from other fields who select soil science courses as electives, or who select the soil science minor, can augment their skills and knowledge, making them more adaptable to changing professional opportunities. All students can discover soil’s vital role in their lives, and the human dependence on the quality of soil for quality of life.